Jamie and Adam

Thursday weddings are not common. The only one that I have ever photographed on a Thursday was seven years ago, at Botanica in Wichita. The bride, Jamie, selected that Thursday in June so that she and Adam, her husband, would share their wedding anniversary date with her parents. What a special day...celebrating a new wedding and the anniversary of her parent's wedding...doubly special.

A few days ago I had the fun of photographing Jamie and Adam and their two children, Jamie's parents, two brothers and her sister in law. The photo above is their darling daughter. It was great to see everyone again!

Yesterday I had a woman say to me,"I never forget a face-you photographed our wedding 18 years ago at East Heights in Wichita." She went on to tell others in the room, "Having a photographer who is a woman made such a difference. I was more relaxed, Edye paid more attention to details...things a male photographer just wouldn't see. If you ever need a great photographer-call Edye!"

Although it had been 18 years since her wedding, I was impressed that she remembered the details that I took care of on her once in a lifetime day. Thank you, Shannon, for reminding me of why I love being a wedding photographer!

Rings and things...

In addition to the holidays and all of the festivities and family events that go along with the season, I have been busy designing several wedding albums. Once the couple selects their favorite photos from their wedding images, I lay them out so they tell the wedding day story.

This is also a busy time for planning 2009 weddings. Recently, I enjoyed meeting with Tara and her parents regarding Tara and Rob's May 30th wedding. Tara is planning a beautiful wedding at Central Christian Church. When we spoke, they were still deciding on a reception location, but their plans are coming along very well.

If you were one of the 40% of couples nationally to get engaged during the holidays...CONGRATULATIONS! I look forward to visiting with you soon about your wedding photography.

Winter solstice

Long, icy nights and short frigid days...it is winter time in Kansas. With only a few days until winter actually starts (winter solstice), thought that you would enjoy this photo. Makes one long for green grass and sunny days...

Portraits at your home

Having the opportunity to photograph a family at their home makes the portrait so much more personal than if the same family had their portrait taken in front of a generic background. Years from now, whenever they look at their portrait, it will trigger a flood of memories from that house- the wreath on the door, the family dog or the smell of gingerbread cookies for Christmas.

Recently I heard a quote from Eric Erickson: I am what survives of me. My goal is that the portraits I create will bring to mind fond memories of a special moment in the history of the families photographed.

Thank you, Rhoda, for the honor of photographing your family.

Christmas Tree Farm

Ho, Ho, Ho! Isn't this what Christmas is all about? If you have the chance to visit Prairie Pines Christmas Tree Farm on North Tyler Road in Wichita..take it! In addition to the opportunity to whisper your Christmas wish list to Santa, there are horse drawn wagons to take you to find the perfect Christmas tree. After you find your tree, take a moment to enjoy some hot chocolate and a homemade cookie while you look over the hundreds of ornaments, decorations and wreaths. It's the perfect way to get in the holiday spirit!

August 8, 2009 Wedding

8/8/09 will be a memorable day for Meghan and Brandon. They will be getting married that day at the Cathedral in downtown Wichita, with a reception following at Botanica. (I haven't had the pleasure of meeting the bride and groom-to-be yet, but did have the opportunity to meet recently with Meghan's parents. What proud parents-and rightly so!)
So far, they have selected tuxes from Tuxedo Junction, bridemaids' dresses from Uniquely You Bridal, and Harriet Harris will be creating the wedding cake. As you can tell, the wedding plans are coming together beautifully. Congratulations to Meghan and Brandon on your engagement, and I look forward to photographing your wedding.

Family from Texas

One of the highlights of my work, is the privilege of becoming the family photographer after I have photographed the wedding of a couple. Recently, I photographed Sarah and Scott and their darling sons. (I was their wedding photographer, as well as the photographer for Sarah's sister's wedding.) It was such fun to meet their children! Sarah and Scott now live near Dallas, but were in Wichita for the Thanksgiving holiday, visiting Sarah's side of the family.

Their family photos were taken at the Sedgwick County Park, in West Wichita. Despite the "much colder than Texas" weather, we got some great photographs. The photo is of their youngest-with the most remarkable blue eyes I've ever seen.

Erin and Nate

If you have been reading this blog for any length of time you know that I love photographing weddings. Yesterday was no exception...Erin and Nate are an extraordinary couple. Their wedding was held at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary-or St. Mary's Cathedral as most of us know it. As the bride and groom wanted to make sure that all their guests arrived at the reception ahead of them, we had the entire church to ourselves for a little while after the ceremony and got to take some unique photos. (If you have never been inside the Cathedral, I highly recommend you take the first opportunity to see it. Located at Central and Broadway in downtown Wichita, it was originally dedicated in 1906. They just don't make churches like that anymore!)

The reception was held a few minutes away, at the hall at St. Jude's. Erin and Nate and their families had planned a wonderful day, and things flowed without a glitch. After the dinner, the best man and maid of honor offered some hilarious and heartfelt toasts, then Erin's brother, who was the DJ for the evening, had everyone out on the dance floor with a grand march followed by the "chicken dance".

Congratulations, Erin and Nate! Best wishes for many happy and healthy years together.

Just for fun...

The reason that I enjoy my work so much is that capturing images, memories, and moments in time give purpose to my life. Most of my work is people oriented-weddings, family portraits and so on. However, this image was captured right outside my front door, looking west toward our pasture. We are certainly blessed with some "take your breath away" sunsets in Kansas!

Dana and Jim

Last year I photographed the wedding of Dana and Jim at Eastminster Presbyterian and also their reception at Dana's parents' home. A few days ago I photographed the newlyweds in their lovely new home. In addition to some traditional poses, we also included a few with their cute dog and beautiful cat. Since they had just remodeled their kitchen, we even took a few fun photographs in there. Thank you, Jim and Dana, and congratulations on your first year of marriage!

Misha and Josh

November 8 was a happy day for Misha and Josh. They were married at the Immanuel Baptist Church in Newton, Kansas. They enjoyed a carriage ride (Country Boys Carriage 316.283.2636) to the Newton VFW for their reception. Their wedding cake was beautifully done by Artistic Cakes (artisticcakes.com) and the fun atmosphere for their reception dance was created by Totally Legal Sound and Lighting (316.264.4093). Misha and Josh were so relaxed and just enjoyed the day and being with family and friends (despite a few minor problems like the maid of honor's dress trying to fall apart!) Congratulations to a great couple--it was a privilege to photograph your wedding and reception.

Wedding Albums

In the nearly twenty years that I have been a professional photographer, wedding albums have gotten much more diverse. Traditional albums have leather covers and beautiful pages that mat each photo or grouping of photos. The album page has a decorative, reinforced border with double reinforcing at the corners--albums guaranteed to protect and creatively display your wedding memories for many decades.
Also available are Collage albums like the sample shown above. With literally thousands of design options, no two albums are alike. Each page is a photo collage, and is rigidly mounted to protect and preserve the integrity of the images.
Another option is having a wedding book created. Just like a hardcover photo book you might purchase at a store, your wedding images may become a book. The wedding book concept is especially popular for parents of the bride and groom. Brides also enjoy having one to easily take along to work or family events to show off her once-in-a-lifetime wedding, without the worry of mishandling the larger custom album. The books come in a variety of sizes and make treasured gifts for the wedding party as well.
Part of the personalized service that I provide to wedding couples is album design. The bride and groom simply choose their favorite images and I do the rest. Once the album design is completed and the couple has given their approval, images are ordered, albums are sent for binding, etc. Typically, within six weeks of their selection of wedding photo favorites, the newlyweds have their custom wedding album- to enjoy for generations to come.

History in the Making

What an election! Regardless of your political affiliation, you have to admit that this has been a history making year.

I spent the last two days photographing preschool students; three, four and five year old children. (The photos above are a few outtakes-just for fun.)

When I look at their beautiful faces, all I can see is the potential, promise and opportunity that their futures hold. At this point in their young lives, the children have no concept of the momentous election taking place. However, I hope one day their mom or dad will point at their preschool photo and tell them of the history in the making on the very day that photo was taken.

Kate

Two weeks ago I photographed Kate for her senior portraits, on the same afternoon that I photographed her entire family. We only did a few shots that day, with plans to get together for more later. Well, that day arrived with beautiful weather-no wind, blue sky and fall colors everywhere.

Kate's first outfit was a striking red formal dress. In keeping with her spontaneous personality, she did not want to wear any shoes with the formal, and went barefoot. She commented that she loved the falling leaves--all the red and golden colors.

Next we went to a friend's home with a lovely pond, and from there to a Wichita park. . . Thank you, Kate, I had a lot of fun and we got some fantastic shots!

Class of '63 Reunion

The East High School Class of 1963 enjoyed their 45th reunion this past weekend. It was wonderful to see them catching up with one another-it seemed there was constant hugging and smiles. The reunion dinner was held at Tallgrass Country Club-always an elegant choice for an event.

For the photos, we started with a group picture of the entire class of around 90 individuals. Then were the smaller classes from the various elementary and junior high schools. Following the many planned group photos, I captured candid moments of friends visiting, couples dancing and friends reminiscing.

The highlight of the evening, for me, was when a kind gentleman stopped for a quick chat after the group photos. He explained that he used to be a photographer and also had taught photography. He commented that my organizational and posing skills really showed up in arranging the large class photo, and that I made everyone feel relaxed and comfortable. He did offer an interesting insight, especially from a male perspective, saying,"I truly believe that women do a superior job as photographers. A woman is more attentive to details and (typically) has better communication skills". In concluding his observation he offered the finest compliment,"You have a PhD in photography psychology!"

Thank you, Class of '63!

Rita and kids

This past Saturday I got to photograph Rita and her son and daughter. They have a new home, so we started with pictures out in front of the house, then moved to their large backyard. Their house borders a natural wildlife area, so we got to do a little hiking in the fall grasses for some more unique photos. Even their two happy dogs were included in some of the images. (I have been the photographer for Rita and her children since 1994... Thank you, Rita!)

To smile or not to smile...

Typically parents want a photo of their child smiling. As we all know, though, sometimes children go through a stage of being more serious, solemn and somber. This past week I photographed a family with a little girl of two who simply stared at me and my camera, as if she were daring me to take her picture. After getting some traditional photos, I told her brother to "tickle Daddy" and finally we got a smile...this was one of my favorites from their portrait session.

Digital Negatives?

Isn't technology a funny thing? It seems to change and advance almost daily. (Remember the "latest and greatest" computer you bought-the one that was upstaged by a newer and better model before you even got it home?)

This is certainly true in photography. Some amazing cameras have been developed with extreme digital capabilities. Sometimes, though, what's new is actually old...case in point:

There are ads running in professional photography magazines for a company offering to create digital negatives from digital photo files. They assert, and it is true, that negatives are a stable format and will be around for many years to come. (Think eight track and VHS tapes: it's only a matter of time until CF and SD cards and image CDs will become dinosaurs, too.) Anyway, this company will copy digital images into archival negatives for longevity.

I am way ahead in this way of thinking. For every wedding that I photograph, I incorporate shooting with a medium format film camera alongside my digital cameras. The optics in my medium format Hasselblad camera are perfect, and the archival negatives will stand the test of time. Plus, there are some fun things that I can do with that camera that just can't be done the same way in PhotoShop-take a look at the double exposure (above) from the ordination of Father Michael earlier this year.

(On a side note: approximately 18 months after a wedding, the negative and digital files are sent to underground storage in Hutchinson, Kansas. The same place where the original Wizard of Oz, and other irreplaceable movies, medical and legal files, etc. are safely stored in optimum conditions. That way the bride and groom have their album, and the files are kept safe from tornados, hurricanes, and so on. All it takes is a phone call to retrieve the file if a photo is needed later-like for a 10th anniversary, or Christmas gift.)

Weddings are a once in a lifetime moment...I only offer the best to the brides and grooms that become clients of Wright Focus Photography.

Rachel, Adrienne and Kate

This past Saturday was one of those autumn days you wish you could bottle up and save to enjoy again later. No wind, beautiful fall colors, and some terrific senior girls to photograph!

First was Rachel--we got started at Botanica, then went to Oak Park and finally headed to the "water wall" outside the Hyatt along the Arkansas River. We even walked down by the Boathouse for some fun shots.

Next was Adrian--I met her in downtown Wichita and we went all over the Old Town district. From there we went to Riverside Park and then along the river...she will have a lot of poses from which to choose!

Then I enjoyed photographing Kate, a girl that I have been photographing for about ten years. It has been a lot of fun to watch her grow into a beautiful young woman. Kate was photographed at her home in Benton, with plans to do more shots in Wichita in two weeks.(I photographed her with her entire family while there, too.)

Thank you Rachel, Adrian and Kate...It was a fantastic day!

Why a bridal portrait?

A bridal portrait session is like a dress rehearsal for the wedding day. Putting on your dress and walking back and forth in front of the mirror at the bridal shop isn't really "wearing" your dress. Having a formal portrait taken of you in your wedding gown gives you the opportunity to get to know your gown and to "get comfortable" in it.

The bridal portrait session allows for another memorable moment between you and the special people you have along-especially your mom, sister, grandmother, or future mother-in-law. It is the chance to go somewhere more personal or unique for your portrait-such as along the river, the front porch at your grandparent's home, Old Town or even your hometown!

If you decide to have a bridal portrait session, allow enough time so that your favorite pose from the portrait session may be framed and displayed at the reception. It would also make a wonderful appreciation gift for your parents, or a beautiful wedding gift for your new husband.

Every time I have photographed a bride in her wedding gown prior to the wedding day, she has decided to change something after spending that "dress rehearsal" time in her gown-her hairstyle, the length of the veil, a slight hem of the gown, more comfortable shoes, etc. Much better to know about a needed change before the big day!

Remember, the more comfortable you are in your wedding gown, the more relaxed and radiant you will be on your wedding day.

A Day Brightener...

Yesterday I received a nice note from newlyweds Mike and Stacia:

Edye,

Thank you for photographing our wedding. The pictures look wonderful...our friends and family have all loved the quality of your work. Thank you again for helping make our day hectic free.

Sincerely, Mike & Stacia

I love what I do, and it makes my day to get a thank you note like the one above.

Alex

The strong winds and recent rain have caused several portrait sessions to be rescheduled. However this past Saturday was nice, and I had the opportunity to photograph Alex, a senior from McPherson. He shows horses, so we started with some casual shots with him and his horse. From there we headed to downtown Wichita for some more unique images...his senior portraits won't look like those of any other McPherson senior- Thank you, Alex!

Class of 2009

From photographing weddings to horse shows to families to seniors...happily, my business is never boring!

Yesterday I enjoyed photographing a senior from Flint Hills High School. We started with some photos at her house with her awesome car and her sweet dog. From there, we headed to El Dorado Lake and then to the waterfall east of El Dorado-WOW! She and her Mom had spent an evening finding great areas around the lake that held special memories, and that's where we went to make her senior portrait images more personal and memorable for her. Thank you, Tia!

Autumn Portraits

What a beautiful time of year! The days are cooler, nights are a little chilly and the colors of the trees are turning into vivid shades of autumn.

If you are thinking of family portraits for holiday gifts, Christmas cards, or just because everyone will be together for Thanksgiving--give me a call to schedule your family portrait.

This past Sunday I went to Emporia to photograph a large family group. Three generations with many different combinations: the whole family, grandparents, grandparents with grandchildren, siblings, parents with children and so on. It was a lot of fun-thank you Browning and Kraft families!

Note: for all of the Dads out there who only have family portraits taken to "keep the peace" ...the entire shoot lasted less than an hour...a small amount of time for you to put up with a photographer.

Photography Layaway Plans

With the wedding photography options available through Wright Focus, the payments have always been divided into several payments: one third at booking, one third 60 days before the wedding and one third 30 days before the wedding. For those wishing to make other arrangements, I would be happy to set up a "layaway" payment plan for wedding packages that would fit your budget preferences. (Also note that I am happy to custom design an entire wedding photography plan to work within your budget.)

For those parents bombarded with expenses for their teen's senior year...I understand. If you would like to set up payment arrangements for senior portraits, just give me a call or send an email. The same layaway option would be available for family portraits as well.

There is a family that I have been photographing for nearly twenty years. They have seen ups and downs in their household budget. However, throughout the years, the mom has picked "milestone moments" for each child to be professionally photographed- at one year of age, 5 , 12 and 18 years. Even if they didn't order portraits right at that time, she always made sure that the portraits were taken. As Cristinette would say, "My child is only this age for a little while!".

Delta Gamma Girls

This is a fun time of year...every day is different: one day I'm packaging horse show orders, the next I'm meeting with a bride to be and her mom about the May 2, 2009 wedding they are planning, and later visiting with a high school senior about ideas for her portrait session.

One night recently was something completely new--photographing the Delta Gamma sorority at WSU for their "Bid Day". What energy, optimism and enthusiasm the Delta Gammas have! I had the pleasure of photographing the whole sorority, then the individual classes, and finally one of the whole group by some fountains on campus (and we had just finished up as campus security came by!) Included is a photo of the "fun pose" of the senior class DG members, and another of the moment right after the fountain photo...with girls scrambling to keep from getting wet. Thank you DeeGees!

Kansas State Fair

It was a wild ride! I recently completed my ninth year as photographer of the eleven horse shows at the Kansas State Fair. It is always fun to see the exhibitors...especially the kids showing at the 4H Horse Show. It is wonderful to see the kids grow and become more confident with their horses from year to year. There are many that I have had the pleasure of photographing at the horse shows, then the fun of photographing them for their senior portrait, and several the honor of being selected to photograph their wedding. WOW!
Thought you would enjoy seeing a fun image from the 4H Costume class--(and yes, there is a horse under there). Congratulations to all of the exhibitors!

Horses and more horses

'Tis the season...for a lot of horse shows, that is. In the past few weeks I've had the fun of photographing the SCSHA show and futurity in Hutchinson, the Kansas Palomino Futurity in Kingman, and the Novice/Amateur AQHA show in Kingman. This Sunday is the Appaloosa and KSHA horse show affiliated with the Kansas State Fair ( 5 days early!). The State Fair runs Sept. 5-14--and yes, I will be there every day, photographing every horse show: Palomino, POA, AQHA, Pinto, Paint, Mule & Miniatures, Arabian and then the finale' with three days of the State 4-H Horse Show. I enjoy them all, but when it comes to combining kids and horses, there is nothing better... especially when the whole family gets involved, sharing together their love of horses.

Another great wedding!

Yes, I know you've heard it from me before...every wedding is great...it really is! Last Friday was another fun evening: we got started at the Hyatt with some unique photos along the Arkansas River and the
"water wall". From there we headed to the Petroleum Club, where both the ceremony and reception were held. (By the way, if you are looking for a wedding and/or reception location, just call Kathy at the Petroleum Club-she and her staff will take fantastic care of you!)

The bride had a six year old daughter who was very precocious and darling. She was included in each detail of the day, including having her own candle to light for the unity candle ceremony. Congratulations to Mike, Stacia and Madison!

Special wedding memories...

Congratulations to the 8/8/08 wedding couple, Kelley and Clint. They had a beautiful wedding at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in Wichita. Their reception was at the church hall, and the whole day went wonderfully. Because Clint, Kelley and their attendants and families were so organized and easy to work with, we had the opportunity to get some really fun, unique images. The highlight of the day (for me) was when one of the bridesmaids commented that I was "easiest, fastest photographer she had worked with". I want what I do to flow seamlessly with the wedding day, so I considered that comment: Mission Accomplished!

On August 9 I photographed a wedding and reception at McConnell AFB, at the Emerald City Ballroom. Congratulations to Dawn and Tim! We even had extra time to do some unique photos around a pool table at the club there. Again, I was pleased when Dawn's dad said that "it was fun to watch me work because I certainly knew what I was doing, and he couldn't wait to see the images!"

On another note, I had a phone call from a June bride regarding a photo taken at her reception. She was ordering an 8x10 of some friends gathered around a table, with the bride and groom behind them...nothing posed, just a candid moment of friends enjoying being together. She explained that an older gentleman in the photo died later that night, and that the pictures from the reception were the last ones taken of him.

Every picture has a story...

The Good Old Summertime...

Despite the hot, humid days of Kansas in July, the summer continues to be busy. I have been visiting with a LOT of brides-to-be as they are planning their weddings. The Wedding Affair Bridal Show had a great response, and I enjoyed meeting the brides that were there.

This past weekend was spent photographing a regional Pinto horse show in Hutchinson. Even with high gas prices and hot weather, the exhibitors there had a great time....congratulations on a terrific show!

Wanted to share some pictures from a recent portrait session taken at the family's home in the Flint Hills. You can see that they are just as comfortable in jeans and hats as they are all dressed up. Thank you, Preheim Family!

Wedding Affair Bridal Show

To see the latest in wedding ideas, designs, floral creations, wedding gowns and MUCH MORE...come to the Wedding Affair Bridal Show. This will be the 18 year for the show, and features some of the finest wedding professionals in the area. See you there!

What: WEDDING AFFAIR BRIDAL SHOW

Where: WICHITA MARRIOTT (near Kellogg/Webb)

When: Sunday, July 20, 1-4:00pm, Bridal Fashion Show at 2:30

Why: WIN GREAT PRIZES INCLUDING A HONEYMOON GETAWAY, get GREAT IDEAS to help make your wedding plans go smoothly, AND MUCH MORE!

Vendors-to refer or not to refer...

Since I have been photographing weddings across the region since 1989, I have had the pleasure (and sometimes dis-pleasure) of working with a wide variety of wedding professionals. I believe that giving a referral is the highest praise of the work and talents of another business, so I am happy give information about only exceptional businesses in order to help you as you plan your wedding, anniversary, reunion or other event.

For instance, at a recent wedding the flowers, bouquets, etc. were all mistakenly sent to a church in Derby instead of Wichita. By the time the flowers were correctly delivered, many of the photographs had already been taken, sans flowers, due to time constraints. That florist is not on my list of referrals.

At another wedding, there was panic when it was realized that the ringbearer didn't have a boutonniere. As we were at the Cathedral in downtown Wichita, I called nearby JR Koontz Flowers to see if they could help out. Within 10 minutes the ringbearer had his "flower" and the bride never knew there was a problem. JR Koontz was NOT the florist for this wedding...he was just the one who helped it go smoothly, and is definitely on my list of referrals!

On another note, congratulations to Jennifer and John Koerner on your July 5th wedding. It was held at beautiful St. Francis in Wichita. The image above left was taken at their reception held in Cana Hall of the church. The top right image was taken outside in front of the church belltower. They are a great couple and I completely enjoyed working with them. Best wishes!

What a great family!

Yesterday I had the honor (and fun!) of photographing a 50th wedding anniversary celebration. The anniversary couple had their sons, their son's families and many other family members and friends around them as they celebrated and remembered their day. They chose to commemorate the anniversary with a wedding vow renewal, complete with beautiful new wedding bands. As you can see from their photo (with Mr. Davis planting a big kiss on his lovely bride!), love and humor are very evident in the relationship of this wonderful family. Congratulations, Davis Family!

Quite often at a wedding reception I will overhear the comment, "Well, I'm glad that's over", in reference to the long hours of planning spent getting ready for the wedding day. What I would like to do is show them a photo of this family, and remind them, "No, the best part is only just beginning."

Weddings, graduations and new babies

My favorite time of year...lots of weddings taking place! Congratulations to May newlyweds photographed by Wright Focus: Leah and Randy Jefferis, Amber and Thomas Daniels, Louella and John Chavez, Lauren and Dan Davis and Marishka and Andrew McElwain.

Sometimes at a wedding, the children capture your attention. This little girl caught my eye...what a doll.

In mid-May I had the honor of photographing the Kindergarten graduates of Sunrise Christian Academy. As a parent, it seems like only a few minutes between seeing a child at that age and seeing them become college students. Yes, every day between is hectic and busy, but enjoy each moment...it flies by.

Just for fun-- thought you would enjoy seeing the newest baby in our "herd"...born May 10, 2008 and weighing 105 lb. He is only about 3 hours old in this photo and already keeping up with mom!